Alya's Redemption
by fallsky279
Summary: What's Alya thinking after the events of Ladybug? Will she side with Marinette or Lila? Who will she decide is responsible, and what will she do from there?


**This story mostly came about because there are many stories condemning Alya for betraying Marinette, but as we saw in **_**Ladybug**_**, Alya still trusts Marinette. It may be hard to prove her innocence, but Alya's not buying Lila's lies in this case. I was also curious to see what the aftermath of **_**Ladybug**_** would be. **

**I do not own **_**Miraculous Ladybug**_** or any of its characters. :)**

Alya's Redemption

Contrary to common belief, Alya Cesaire was not stupid.

She knew that Marinette was a trustworthy person. Even if Marinette was madly in love with Adrien, she was self-sacrificing to the extreme. She would never hold a grudge against someone for liking him. Marinette didn't tell Adrien about the scarf she made for him because it made him happier to think it was from his father, and she became friends with Kagami even though she knew that Kagami was a formidable rival for Adrien's attention. Marinette wouldn't hate Lila for liking Adrien.

Alya sighed, doodling in her notebook as the teacher droned on about the hero's journey.

Yes, Alya had seen Marinette do many crazy things to catch Adrien's attention, but Marinette was essentially a level-headed person and would do what was right in the end.

So the fact that Marinette was growing ever more distrustful of Lila over time bothered Alya. There must be a reason, but try as she might, Alya couldn't see it. Marinette claimed Lila was lying almost constantly, but no one could lie that much . . . right? What reason would Lila have to lie?

Marinette's expulsion, though - that weighed on her mind. Alya frowned. Try as she might, she could find no evidence to back up Marinette's case. No fingerprints, no evidence, whatsoever. That meant the person behind this had planned this thoroughly, which was troubling. Who would go into all this trouble to set up Marinette?

Then Marinette had mysteriously returned. Apparently Lila had changed her side of the story - she had a rare disease that forced her to lie. But why? Why had her story changed?

"And that's why a hero must undergo tragic events and make sacrifices - their hopes, dreams, health, friendships, relationships, and prized possessions along the way," Mme. Bustier explained. Marinette sighed sadly. Alya patted her on the shoulders - how nice of her to be concerned for the heroes! - and returned to her thoughts.

If one thing was obvious, it was that Lila having a disease that forced her to lie was . . . a lie, how ironic. The mastermind behind this particular sting had planned carefully and left no trace. They had planted the test answers in Marinette's bag, Lila's necklace in Marinette's locker, and shoved Lila down the stairs, not to mention the work it must have taken to steal the test answers and Lila's necklace.

Looking down at her paper, she stared at the picture of an akuma that she had unwittingly drawn. It appeared there was one of three choices. Either Marinette was lying and Lila had been coerced into cooperating, Lila was lying about everything for some unknown reason, or there was a third person somehow invested.

Both Marinette and Lila were decent people; both Marinette and Lila were helpful and kind. And yet, they loathed each other. Why? Alya couldn't see either person doing these crimes. Therefore, it must have been . . .

Vaguely, Alya heard her classmates calling out the name of the superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Alya jumped up, pushing back her chair. "Hawkmoth!" she cried triumphantly. Marinette squawked, almost falling off the bench. Alya grinned; she had figured it out! Hawkmoth had everything to gain and nothing to lose from the situation. Of course it was . . . him . . .

Suddenly, she noticed the silence that had fallen over the classroom. Everyone was staring at her incredulously, their mouths hanging open. "I'm sorry, Alya, but Hawkmoth does NOT fit the archetype of a hero," said Mme. Bustier dryly. "If you would rejoin us, let's list some characters who DO fit that archetype, okay?"

**Mostly introspection and not much action for the first chapter; feel free to tell me if there's something you'd like to see. What will Alya do now that she knows a supervillain framed her best friend?**


End file.
